Yamakisou
山樹荘
Does Yamakisou allow tattoos? In a private bath
Yamakisou is a two-story wooden house in the woods above Amagase, rented to one group at a time, with a rock pool of flowing spring water under its eaves that the operator says is yours at any hour.
Yamakisou publishes no tattoo rule. It is a whole house rented to one group, and its open-air rock bath of flowing spring water comes with the house, so a tattooed guest bathes with no one else around.
The bath
The open-air bath is the reason to come. It is a rock pool of natural hot spring water that flows straight through without recirculation, and the operator says the group renting the house has it to themselves 24 hours a day. It sits under the eaves at the edge of the woods, with small lamps on posts among the boulders. The operator calls the water moist and soft, and says the night sky above it fills with stars.
Inside the house there is a second bath, an indoor tub of hinoki cypress. The operator does not name the spring type or say whether the cypress tub carries the spring.
Because the bath comes with the house, there is no booking, no time slot and no one else in the water. The same operator rents a second house nearby, Nibankan, which has an indoor bath only; it is not the house listed here.
The hotel
Yamakisou is a two-story wooden house rented whole to one group of up to eight, with three double beds upstairs and four single sofa beds downstairs. The kitchen is stocked with pots, pans, tableware and basic seasonings, and an indoor grill is free. The house has Wi-Fi, a washing machine, an air purifier and a kotatsu (a low heated table) in winter. A covered terrace holds a barbecue that works in rain, and there is a brick oven for outdoor cooking. Towels, toothbrushes, shampoo and a hair dryer are provided. Pets are not allowed, and smoking is for the terrace or outdoors.
Good to know
- The open-air bath never closes, since it comes with the house.
- Drive in by Route 210 or Prefectural Road 12. The operator warns that car navigation can send you up narrow, steep lanes.
- Carry tire chains in midwinter, the operator advises; a no-show because of snow still pays the cancellation fee.
- The outdoor barbecue set costs extra, paid into a box at the house; the indoor grill is free.
Getting there
From Hita Station ride the JR Kyudai Main Line three stations on to Amagase Station, about 12 minutes by limited express. The operator gives drive times only: about 10 minutes from the Amagase-Takatsuka IC on the Oita Expressway, 30 minutes from Hita IC, 20 minutes from central Hita and about 90 minutes from Fukuoka IC. It publishes no pickup and no walking time from the station.
Amagase STN · JR Kyudai Main Line
The operator publishes no walking time.
About 10 minutes by car from the Amagase-Takatsuka IC; no pickup published.
Where it is
Amagase STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Kyushu Rail Pass from ¥12,000 · 3, 5 or 7 consecutive days Worth it if Hita is one stop on a longer Kyushu trip by train.
- Yufuin and Hita day tour Yufuin and Hita in a day, with the Yufuin no Mori train as an option.
- Japan Rail Pass from ¥53,000 · 7, 14 or 21 days For a trip that takes in several regions by Shinkansen and JR lines.
What happens when you arrive
Skip the shared baths and use a private bath.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the facility page lists the house's own flowing natural hot spring open-air bath, for the guests' sole use 24 hours a day)
Best for: a group renting a whole wooden house with a rock pool of flowing spring water at the edge of the woods
One two-story wooden house for up to eight: three double beds upstairs, four single sofa beds downstairs. Open-air rock bath of natural spring water, flowing without recirculation, for the renting group only, 24 hours a day; there is also an indoor bath of hinoki cypress. Full kitchen, washing machine, covered barbecue terrace and a brick oven; the outdoor barbecue set costs extra. The same operator rents a second house nearby, Nibankan, which has only an indoor bath; this listing is for Yamakisou. No pets; no smoking indoors.
Book your stay
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